issue Go, FU 20/8, Poverty Law Center, an frm Teaching Tolerance ; (a publication fom the Seuthern Important civil rights organization) RECOGNIZING WHITE PRIVILEGE BEGINS WITH TRULY RECOGNIZING THE TERM ITSELF BY CORY COLLINS ILLUSTRATION BY MARCIN WOLSKI So, What Is White Privilege? White privilege is—pethaps most notably in this era of uncivil discourse—acon- cept that has fallen victim to its own connotations. The two-word term packs a double whammy that inspires pushback. 1) The word white creates discomfort ‘among those who are not used to being defined or described by their race, And 2) the word privilege, especially for poor and rural white people, sounds like aword that doesn'tbelongto them—likea word that suggests they have never struggled. ‘This defensiveness derails the conversation, which means, unfortunately, that defining white privilege must often begin with defining what it's not. Otherwise, only the choir listens; the people you actually want to reach checkout. White priv- ‘lege isnot the suggestion that white people have never struggled. Many white people donot enjoy the privileges that come with relative affluence, such as food security, Many do not experience the privileges that come with access, stch as nearby hospitals a And white privilege isnot the assumption that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned; most white people who have reached a high level of success worked extremely hard to get there. Instead, white privilege should be Viewed as a built-in advantage, separate from one's level of income or effort. Francis E, Kendall, author of Diversity in the Classroom and Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race, comes close to giving usan encompassing definition: “having greater access to power and resourees than people of color [in the same situation] do.” But in order to grasp, what this means, its also important to consider how the definition of white priv- ilege has changed over time. White Privilege Through the Years. Inathorough article, education researcher Jacob Bennett tracked the history of theterm. Before the Civil Rights Act of1964, “white privilege” was less commonly used but generally referred to legal and systemic advantages given to white peo- ple by the United States, such as citizenship, the right to vote or the right to buy. ahouse in the neighborhood of their choice. Ttwas only after discrimination persisted for years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that people like Peggy McIntosh began to view white privilege as being more psychological—a subconscious advan- tage perpetuated by white people'slack ‘of awareness that they held this power. ‘White privilege could be found in day- to-day transactions and in white peo- ple's ability to move through the pro- fessional and personal worlds with relative ease, But some people of color continued to insist that an element of white priv- ilege included the aftereffects of con- scious choices, ‘The more complicated truth: White privilegeisboth unconsciously enjoyed and consciously perpetuated. Ibisboth, on the surface and deeply embedded into American life, It is a weightless Jniapsack—and a weapon, Itdepends on who's carryingit White Privilege as the “Power of Normal” Sometimes the examples used to make white privilege visible to those who haveitarealso the examplesleast dam- aging to people who lack it. But that does not mean these examples do not ‘matter or that they dono damage atall razor 39‘These often-used examples include: ® The first-aid kit having “flesh- colored” Band-Aids that only match the skin tone of white people. ‘© The products white people need for their hair being in the aisle beled “haircare” rather than in asmaller, sep- arate section of “ethnichair products.” ‘The grocery torestockingavari- ety of food options that reflect the eul- ‘ural traditions of most white people. But the root of these problems is ‘often ignored. These types of examples can be dismissed by white people who right say,"Myhairiscurly and requires special product,” or “My family is from Poland, and it’s hard tofind traditional Polish food at the grocery store” Thismay be true, But thereason even these simple white privileges need to be recognized is that the damage goes beyond the inconvenience of shopping for goods and services. These privileges are symbolic of what we might call “the power of normal.” If public spaces and goods seem catered to one race and segregate the needs of people of other racesinto special sections, that indicates somethingbeneath the surface ‘White people become more likely to move through the world with an expectation that theit'needsboreadily ‘met, People of color move through the ‘world knowing their needs are on the margins. Recognizing this means rec- ‘ognizing where gaps exist. White Privilege as the “Power of the Benefit of the Doubt” ‘The “power ofnormal” goesbeyond the local CVS. White people are also more likely to see positive portrayals of peo- ple who look like them on the news, on TV shows and in movies, They are more likely to be treated as individu- als, rather than as representatives of (Gr exceptions to) a stereotyped racial identity. In other words, they are more often humanized and granted the beno- fitofthe doubt. They aremore likely to receive compassion, tobe granted indi- vidual potential, to survive mistakes, ‘This has negative effects for people of color, who, without this privilege, face the consequences of racial profil- ing, stereotypes and lack of compassion for their struggles. In these scenarios, white privilege includes the facts that: » White people are less likely to be followed, interrogated or searched by law enforcement because they look “suspicious” ‘White people's skin tone will not be a reason people hesitate to trust their credit or financial responsibility. © Ifwhite people are accused of a crime, they are less likely to be pre- sumed guilty, less likely tobesentenced todeath and more likely tobe portrayed ina fair, nuanced mannerby mediaout- lets (see the #IfTheyGunnedMeDown campaign). © The personal faults or missteps of white people will likely not be used tolater deny opportunities or compas- sion to people who share their racial identity. This privilege is invisible to many white peoplebecause itseémsreasonable thata person should be extended com- passion as they move through the world, ‘tseemslogicalthataperson should have the chance to prove themselves individ- ually before they arejudged, It’s suppos- ely an American ideal, Butit’saprivilege often notgranted to peopleofcolor—with direconsequences. Forexample, programs like New York City’snow-abandoned “Stop and Frisk policy target a disproportionate mum- ber of black and Latinx people. People ‘ofcoloraremore likely tobe arrestedfor drug offenses despite using at asimilar rate towhite people, Somepeopledonot survive these stereotypes. In 2017, peo- ple of color who were unarmed and not attackinganyone were morelikely tobe Killed by police. A study conducted in Australia (which has ts own hard history of sub- jugating black and Indigenous peo- ple) perfectly illustrates how white privilege can manifest in day-to-day interactions. In the experiment, peo- ple of different racial and ethnic iden- tities tried to board public buses, tell- ing the driver they didn't have enough ‘money to pay for the ride, Researchers documented more than 1,500 attempts. ‘Theresults:72 percent of white people were allowed tostay on the bus. Only36 percent of black people were extended the same kindness. Just as peopleof color did nothingto deserve this unequal treatment, white people did not “earn” dispropartion- ate access to compassion and faimess, ‘Theyreceiveitas the byproduct ofsys- temicracismandbias, ‘And even if they are not aware of it in their daily lives as they walk along the streets, this privilege is the result of conscious choices made long.ago and choices stil being made today, White Privilege as the “Power of Accumulated Power” Perhaps the most important lesson about white privilege is the one that's taught the east. ‘The “power of normal” and the “power of the benefit of the doubt” are hot just subconscious remnants of historical discrimination, They are the purposeful results ofracism, and they allow for the continuousre-ereation of inequality. ‘These powers wouldnotexistifsys- temic racism hadn't come first. And systemic racism cannot endure unless those powers still hold sway. ‘Melntosh asked herself an import- ant question that inspired her famous essay, “White Privilege: Unpackingthe Invisible Knapsack”: “On a daily basis, what do Thave that I didn't earn?” Our work should include asking the two looming follow-up questions: Who Built that system? Who keeps it going? ‘Theanswersto those questions could {illseveral books. But they produceexam- ples of white privilege that youwonrtfind inmany broad explainer pieces. Forexample the ability onceumulate wealth haslongbeenawhiteprivilege—aprivilege created by overt, systemiorae- {sm in both the public and private sec- tors. In2014, the Pew Research Center released a report that revealed the aver- ‘genet worth of awhite household was $141,900; forblackand Hispanic house- holds, that dropped to $11,000 and $13,700, respectively. The gap is huge, and the great “equalizers” don’tnarrow it. Research from Brandeis University and Demos found that the racial wealth gap is not closed when people of color attend college, when they work fulltime orwhen theyspend|essand save more, ‘The gap, instead, depends largely on inheritance—wealth passed from one generation to the next. And that wealth often comes in the form of inherited homes. When white families are able to accumulate wealth because of their earning power orhome value, they are more likely to be able to support their children into early adulthood, help- ing with expenses such as college edu- cation, first cars and first homes, The eycle continues. ‘This is a privilege denied to many families of color, a denial that started with the work of public leaders and property managers. After World War UI, when the G.I. Bill provided white veterans with “a magic carpet to the middle class,” racist zoning laws seg- regated towns and cities with sizeable populations of people of color—from Baltimore to Birminghim, from New York to St, Louis, from Louisville to Oklahoma City, to Chicago, to Austin, and in cities beyond andin between, ‘These exclusionary zoning prac- tices evolved from city ordinances to redlining by the Federal Housing Administration (which wouldn’tback Joansto blackpeople or those who lived lose toblack people) tomore insidious techniques written into building codes. ‘The result: People of color weren't allowed to raise their children and invest their money in neighborhoods with “high home values.” The cycle continues today. Before the 2008 crash, people ofcolor were disproportionately White privilege is both unconsciously enjoyed and consciously perpetuated. Tt is both on the surface and deeply embedded into American life. targeted for subprime mortgages. And neighborhood diversity continues to correlate with low property values across the United States. According to the Century Foundation, ong-fourth of black Americans living in poverty live in high-poverty neighborhoods; only 1in 13 impoverished white Americans lives in a high-poverty neighborhood. ‘Why mention these issuesin an arti= cle defining white privilege? Because the pastand present context of wealth. ‘inequality serves as aperfect example of white privilege, If white privileges “having greater access to power and resourees than people of color [in the same situation] do," then what is more exemplary than the access to wealth, the access to neighborhoods, and the access to the power to segregate cities, deny loans and perpetuate these systems? ‘This example of white privilege also illustrates how systemic inequities trickle down to less harmful versions of white privilege. Wealth inequity con- tributes tothe “power of the benefit of the doubt” every timea white person is given alower mortgage rate than aper- son of color with the same eredit cre dentials. Wealth inequity reinforces the “power of normal” every time busi- nesses assume their most profitable consumer base is the white base and adjust their products accordingly. ‘And this example of white privilege serves an important purpose: Itre-cen- ters the power of conscious choices in the conversation about what white privilege is. People can be ignorant about these inequities, of course, According to the Pew Research Centér, only 46 percent of white people say that they benefit “a great deal” or “a fair amount” from advantages that society does not offer to black people. But conscious choiees were and are made to uphold these privileges. And this goes beyond loan officers and lawmakers, Multiple su ‘veys have shown that many white peo- ple support the idea of racial equality but are less supportive of policies that could make it more possible, stich as reparations, affirmative action or law enforcement reform. In that way, white privilege is not just the power to find what you need in a convenience store or to move through the world without your race defining your interactions, ts not just the subconscious comfort of seeing a ‘world that serves you as normal, It’s also the power to remain silent in the face of racial inequity. Is the power to ‘weigh the need for protest or confron- tation against the discomfortor incon- venience of speaking up. It's getting to choose when and where you want to take astand. Its knowing that you and your humanity are safe. ‘And what a privilege that is. Collins isthe senior writer for ‘Teaching Tolerance, racaie 41